facility focus High-tech Graffiti Removal Helps Complex Canadian aquatic facility gets rid of graffiti with nanotechnological anti-graffiti technology. students from the school across the street or more serious graffiti applied with a vengeance by roaming taggers. “We anticipated having to deal with con-tinuing graffiti problems even before the new facility was built,” says Randy Busch, maintenance supervisor of the Cowichan Aquatic Centre, “and dutifully allocated budgets for removal. We mentally and financially prepped ourselves to have to remove the graffiti and other materials used by taggers on a regular basis. However, one of our people had experience from a previ-ous job with a new graffiti coating. The new coating not only claimed easy removal with water only, but also was backed by a full 10-year performance warranty before re-coat-ing would be required.” The benefits to use the new anti-graffiti system far outweighed considering other By: Ross Sklar A A swimming pool/aquatic centre complex in British Columbia, Canada, claims theyʼve made some quantum leaps — both morally and financially — in their anti-graf-fiti programs. Sure, large cities and towns have major graffiti issues, but smaller towns, such as North Cowichan, do as well. What has happened in this Eastern city on Vancouver Island? Essentially, theyʼve taken major steps that have made a huge impact on graffiti prevention and positively impacted their graffiti removal budgets. Bring In The Technology Cleaners attribute this impact to a new anti-graffiti coating that is guaranteed to last for as long as 10 years. But, the news gets even better; when taggers do their “thing,” maintenance per-sonnel are now able to remove the graffiti without the use of chemicals by using low-pressure water rinse only. No chemicals, solvents or paint strip-pers? No painting over the unsightly tag? Reduce large graffiti removal budgets? Actual easy removal? And added to this, less tagging? Yes, all this and more, according to offi-cials at the North Cowichan Aquatic Centre, a new municipal facility replete with a wave pool and water slide, among other popular amenities. But, even before the old centre was replaced by a new one, it was anticipated that one thing would remain the same. That is, graffiti continuing to be targeted on a regular basis to the outer surfaces of the building and decorative walls, whether it was puppy love notes scribbled by the The beautiful Aquatic Centre can save as much as 70 percent over previous graffiti prevention and removal costs. 44 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • January 2010
CMM – Archives Jan 2010: 44
